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Sunday, October 06, 2013

My husband and I were due to visit Rudrapur for work, when we just decided on a whim that we should check out Nainital as well. A friend of ours is presently training there, so it was an added attraction.

So,
early next morning we caught the Shatabdi Express and got off at
Rudrapur. Free by late evening, we took a lift till the taxi stand in Haldwani, about an hour's drive from there.
The taxi drivers gave us two options - either we could book an
independent vehicle, or on sharing basis with two or three fellow
travellers. Since it was about to get dark, we booked a car for just
ourselves and moved on towards Nainital. We reached around 8PM, and our friend joined us in the hotel he had booked for us. A month long fair was on, so there was music and lights around the Naina Devi temple. The town was still awake, and I was happy to see more pedestrians than cars.

The trio of us started early morning on our explorations with a walk around the massive lake. The town derives its name from Naina Devi Temple and this lake (meaning Tal). There are fishes in the water - we fed them bread crumbs. Further down, we crossed two aeration pumphouses that have been set up to keep the water clean. We came back to our hotel, had breakfast and went out again to visit the tourist attractions.

The foliage is thick and views are very soothing to the eye, especially after the chaos in our urban lives.

There is a ropeway that takes you across the lake, which is a thrilling experience. In winter, Nainital experiences snowfall, and the lake freezes. For this reason, the location of the ropeway is also called "Snow View Point".

Next comes "Lake View Point", from where the lake appears mango shaped. Tourists love to get themselves photographed here. I took the opportunity too.

Our taxi driver brought us to a point from where a rocky trail along the hills takes off. The track had been laid by Britishers, and there is no other option except riding. The path is through a jungle, and various view points and locations for shooting films lie along it. The weather was a bit cloudy, but we were lucky to get some nice shots.

From Nainital town, we came to Kathgodam at the base of hills to board the train back. We reached late night, and next day in office, I was left wondering, "Was it a dream?"